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You might've seen in the media that June's Full Moon is called the Strawberry Moon. Despite the name, Tuesday's Full Moon won’t look red or pink — the name Strawberry Moon comes from North American Indigenous traditions marking the strawberry harvest

The Maine Farmers’ Almanac started publishing these names in the 1930s, drawing on Native American and colonial traditions to track the seasons

So why does the Moon sometimes look red? That happens during a total lunar eclipse — and the next one visible across most of Australia is on 8 September 2025. Set your calendars!

Tuesday’s Moon will reach its Full Moon stage at 7:56 am. For a perfect photo op, you can capture the Moon rising above the Perth Hills in the southeast, this afternoon at 4:33 pm, Tuesday at 5:28 pm, and Wednesday at 6:26 pm.

Great viewing spots around Perth for tonight, Tuesday, and Wednesday include:
📍 Kings Park
📍 Wireless Hill
📍 Reabold Hill Lookout

Also, fun fact — June’s moon is linked to the word honeymoon! In medieval Europe, newlyweds drank mead (a honey drink) for one lunar month after the wedding, believed to bring love and fertility

Wherever you are tonight, just step out into your front or backyard and look up — no special gear needed

#Perth #WA #perthnews #wanews #communitynews #westernaustralia #perthevents #perthtodo #perthlife #perthisok #perthgram #perthhappenings #perthcreatives #PerthAstronomy #LookUpWA #photography #astrophotography #lunarphotography #moonphotography #nightphotography #nightscape #StrawberryMoon #moon #lunar #fullmoon #luna #moonlovers #stargazing #perthobservatory #perthobs

Our Saturday Supanova crew are here to talk to you about all things Space in Perth and beyond. Find us at stand 2054, pick up some merchandise, some information about our tours, or just drop past to tell us what you love about our beautiful universe! Find us here all weekend at @supanovaexpo At the Perth Convention Centre. #perthobservatory #supanovaperth2026 #perthisok #astronomy #volunteersrock

Did you spot a giant cosmic jellyfish drifting across the night sky last night?

Our follower Ashlea captured this incredible photo of the phenomenon, and while it may have looked like something straight out of a science-fiction movie, the explanation is just as fascinating!

What you're seeing is most likely a "space jellyfish" created by gases venting from the upper stage of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket high above Earth's atmosphere. Sunlight can illuminate these expanding gases long after sunset, creating a spectacular glowing cloud visible across hundreds of kilometres.

This particular launch was associated with testing SpaceX's new Starfall re-entry vehicle. Designed to return valuable payloads safely from space back to Earth, Starfall could play an important role in the future of in-space manufacturing, scientific research, and commercial space operations.

The capsule is approximately 0.75 metres tall and 3.1 metres in diameter, weighs around 2,100 kilograms, and can return up to 1,000 kilograms of cargo to Earth. It is designed to fly aboard SpaceX's Starship system.

It's not every day that a rocket test creates one of the most spectacular sights in the night sky. Thanks to Ashlea for sharing this amazing image with us! 🚀✨

Did you see the space jellyfish? Let us know where you spotted it from in the comments!

#Perth #WA #perthnews #wanews #communitynews #westernaustralia #astronomy #astronomynews #space #spacenews #stargazing #lookup #skywatching #astronomylovers #astrophotography #photography #nightphotography #perthlife #perthgram #rocketlaunch #rockets #fuelplume #rocketplume #spacephenomena #spacejellyfish #jellyfishcloud #didyouseeit #whatwasthat #perthobservatory #perthobs

🌌 Ready to take your astronomy knowledge to the

Grab your bestie, your favourite painting partner,

REMINDER: The International Space Station (@iss) will fly over extremely bright on Saturday, June 13th at 6:05 pm (Mag -3.6).

To use the attached maps, face south and hold the map above your head, and you'll see the path of the flyover.

#spotthestation #internationalspacestation #spacestation #iss #Perth #WA #perthnews #wanews #communitynews #westernaustralia #perthnow #perthgram #perthevents #perthlife #perthtodo #perthhappenings #ThisisWA #wanderoutyonder #perthhills #perthisok #perthlife #experienceperthhills #experienceperth #perthentertainment #seeperth #whatsoninperth #stargazing #nightsky #perthobservatory #perthobs

🌕🚀 NASA Names the Artemis III Crew! 🚀🌕

@NASA has officially announced the astronauts who will fly on the Artemis III mission, another major step in humanity's return to the Moon.

Leading the mission will be Commander Randy Bresnik, joined by Pilot Luca Parmitano from Italy and Mission Specialists Frank Rubio and Andre Douglas. Parmitano's selection is particularly historic, as he becomes the first European astronaut assigned to an Artemis mission.

While Artemis III won't actually travel to the Moon or land on its surface, the mission will play a critical role in preparing for future lunar landings. The crew will spend around two weeks in Earth orbit, practising the complex docking procedures needed between NASA's Orion spacecraft and the lunar landers currently being developed by @SpaceX and @BlueOrigin.

The mission follows the successful Artemis II flight, which recently carried astronauts farther from Earth than any crew since the Apollo era. Artemis III will help test the systems, procedures, and teamwork needed before astronauts once again set foot on the lunar surface.

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman described the mission as another important milestone in the agency's renewed push to explore the Moon and eventually establish a long-term human presence there. The ultimate goal? Using the Moon as a stepping stone for future missions to Mars.

For space enthusiasts, it's exciting to see the Artemis program continuing to build momentum. More than 50 years after the final Apollo Moon mission, humanity is steadily preparing for a new era of lunar exploration.

Congratulations to Randy Bresnik, Luca Parmitano, Frank Rubio, and Andre Douglas. We wish them all the very best as they prepare for their journey into space. 🌍✨🌕

#perth #wa #westernaustralia #spacenews #space #astronomynews #astronomy #perthnews #wanews #communitynews #perthhappenings #perthgram #perthlife #NASA #SpaceX #BlueOrigin #ESA #FrankRubio #LucaParmitano #AndreDouglas #RandyBresnik #sls #spacelaunchsystem #artemis3 #ArtemisIII #artemis #ArtemisProgram #orion #perthobservatory #perthobs

🌟 Congratulations to Emeritus Professor David Blair AO 🌟

Everyone at Perth Observatory extends our warmest congratulations to Professor David Blair on being appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) in the 2026 King's Birthday Honours.

Professor Blair has been recognised for distinguished service to physics, precision measurement science, gravitational wave research, and scientific education; a fitting honour for a scientist whose work has transformed our understanding of the Universe.

Born in England and educated at the @universitywa, Professor Blair dedicated much of his career to detecting gravitational waves, tiny ripples in space-time first predicted by Albert Einstein over a century ago.

That pursuit culminated in the historic 2015 detection of gravitational waves by @ligo_lab, produced by the collision of two black holes 1.3 billion light-years away. The discovery opened an entirely new window on the cosmos and marked the birth of gravitational-wave astronomy.

Professor Blair played a leading role in Australia's contribution to this achievement, helping establish Western Australia as a global centre for gravitational-wave research through pioneering work at @gdcobservatory and decades of leadership, innovation, and mentorship.

His career has also been recognised with the Prime Minister's Prize for Science, the Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics, the RSWA Medal, and election as a Fellow of the @ausacademyofscience.

Professor Blair's story reminds us that some of humanity's greatest discoveries take decades of perseverance, collaboration, and vision.

Congratulations, Professor Blair AO, and thank you for inspiring generations of scientists, students, and astronomy enthusiasts. 🌌✨

#Perth #WA #westernaustralia #perthnews #wanews #communitynews #astronomynews #spacenews #astronomy #space #perthlife #perthgram #perthhappenings #KingsBirthdayHonours #DavidBlair #OfficerOfTheOrderOfAustralia #AO #GravitationalWaves #LIGO #Astronomy #Physics #UWA #SpaceScience #BlackHoles #STEM #AustralianScience #ScientificDiscovery #AstronomyAustralia #Perthobservatory #perthobs

😂🪐💕 BREAKING: Venus and Jupiter Caught Canoodling Over Perth! 💕🪐😂

If you've been looking towards the north west after sunset and wondering why two bright "stars" seem to be getting uncomfortably close to each other, you're not imagining things. Venus and Jupiter are having a very public celestial meetup.

Tonight and tomorrow night (9 and 10 June), the two brightest planets in our evening sky will appear less than 1.6° apart, making them look like they're sharing a romantic moment in the night sky.

This event is known as a planetary conjunction, an apparent alignment of objects in the sky. While Venus and Jupiter appear side by side from our perspective here on Earth, they're actually nowhere near each other in space. Venus is currently about 181 million kilometres from Earth, while Jupiter is about 901 million kilometres away.

That's a bit like two people appearing to stand next to each other in a photo, except one is in Perth and the other is somewhere near Bali.

For the best view of this cosmic canoodling:

🌅 Look towards the north west about 45 to 60 minutes after sunset.
🤏 The pair will be separated by less than a pinkie finger's width when held at arm's length.
✨ Venus will be dazzling at magnitude -4.0.
✨ Jupiter will be glowing nearby at magnitude -1.9.
⭐ Look to the left of Castor and Pollux in Gemini.

So if you're outside tonight, take a moment to enjoy one of the sky's most charming sights.

Just remember:

❤️ They're not actually close.
❤️ They're not dating.
❤️ Jupiter already has 95 moons and doesn't need any more attention.
❤️ Mercury is definitely feeling left out.

📸 If you manage to photograph this cosmic romance, share your pictures below!

#Perth #WA #westernaustralia #perthnews #wanews #communitynews #astronomynews #spacenews #astronomy #space #perthevents #perthlife #perthgram #perthhappenings #AstronomicalEvents #CelestialEvents #Venus #Jupiter #Conjunction #PlanetaryConjunction #NightSky #Stargazing #SolarSystem #AstronomyCommunity #photography #astrophotography #nightphotography #nightscape #perthobservatory #perthobs

The International Space Station (@iss) will fly over extremely bright on Wednesday, June 10th at 6:53 pm (Mag -3.4), and on Saturday, June 13th at 6:05 pm (Mag -3.6).

To use the attached maps, face south and hold the map above your head, and you'll see the path of the flyover.

#spotthestation #internationalspacestation #spacestation #iss #Perth #WA #perthnews #wanews #communitynews #westernaustralia #perthnow #perthgram #perthevents #perthlife #perthtodo #perthhappenings #ThisisWA #wanderoutyonder #perthhills #perthisok #perthlife #experienceperthhills #experienceperth #perthentertainment #seeperth #whatsoninperth #stargazing #nightsky #perthobservatory #perthobs

Vale Alan Hale (1958–2026) 🌠

It is with great sadness that we acknowledge the passing of astronomer Alan Hale.

Alan's wife, Vickie, announced that he passed away on the morning of 6 June 2026.

Alan Hale will forever be remembered as one of the co-discoverers of the magnificent Comet Hale–Bopp, one of the brightest and most widely observed comets of the modern era. On 23 July 1995, Alan Hale and Thomas Bopp independently discovered the comet that would later bear both of their names.

When Comet Hale–Bopp swept across our skies in 1997, it became a once-in-a-generation celestial spectacle. Visible to the naked eye for a record 18 months and captivating millions of people around the world, it inspired countless future astronomers and rekindled a sense of wonder about our place in the Universe.

Beyond his famous discovery, Alan was a passionate advocate for astronomy and science education. He authored numerous books and articles, gave talks around the world, and dedicated much of his life to sharing the night sky with others. His enthusiasm, knowledge, and generosity helped make astronomy more accessible to people from all walks of life.

For many astronomers, both professional and amateur, Comet Hale–Bopp was their first unforgettable celestial event. Alan's discovery left an enduring mark on astronomy and created memories that will last a lifetime.

Our thoughts are with Vickie, his family, friends, colleagues, and the global astronomy community during this difficult time.

Clear skies, Alan. Thank you for helping millions of us look up with wonder. 🌠💫

"The stars belong to all of us, and through your work, you helped bring them a little closer."

#Perth #WA #westernaustralia #perthnews #wanews #communitynews #astronomynews #spacenews #astronomy #space #AlanHale #ValeAlanHale #RIPAlanHale #astronomer #Comets #CometHaleBopp #HaleBopp #AstronomyLovers #AmateurAstronomy #AstronomyLife #ScienceEducation #Skywatching #AstronomyCommunity #ForeverInOurHearts #ClearSkies #RememberingAlanHale #RestInPeace #GoneButNeverForgotten #perthobservatory #perthobs

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